Submersible pumps



Dec. 17, 1957 j K. Q. RICE I 2,816,509

SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS Filed May 12, 1953 4 Shets-Sheet l [nvenf'or Dec. 17,1957 K. Q. RICE 2,815,509

SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS Filed May 12, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenzor Dec. 17,1957 K. Q. RICE SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 12, 1953 Inverzfor Dec. 17, 1957 K. Q. Ric:

SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 12, 1953 1% Q- RlceSUBMERSIBLE PUMPS Keith- Q. Rice, Beatrice, Nebn, assignor'to DempsterMill Manufacturing @ompany, Beatrice, Nehn, a corpora" tion of NebraskaAppiieation May 1-2, 1953, Serial No. 354,545

4 Claims. (Cl. 103-108) This invention relates to multi-stagecentrifugal. pumps of the submersible type, audit has'for its object theprovision of a pump structure which shall be easy to manufacture byreason of having -very few close fits between parts or other closetolerances, and by reasonv of the fact that there is practically nonecessity for coring out small passageways in the manufacture of thepump.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a pump effectivefor handling a liquid, while at the same time avoiding excessive wear byreason of any abrasive particles carried by the liquid handledbeingcaused to enter the bearings, and avoiding thelikelihood. that suchabrasive particles may be caused to pile up at any point in the pump soas to interfere with the further effective operation of the mechanism.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide in a pump of thistype a structure which shall be easy to assemble and easy to repair bythe replacement of worn parts, and particularly the parts upon which theheaviest wear occurs. It is still another object to provide acentrifugal pump, the normal pumping action of which tends to move outof contact with the working parts of the pump any abrasive particlescarried --by'the liquid being pumped, in which an effective rotarysealing means is provided for preventing leakage at the impeller eye,and by which the transmission of radial load to the bearings is kept toa minimum in the various stages.

It is one of the objects of my invention to-provide in a pump of thistype diffuser means inthe form of stationary vanes between which theliquid passes inwardly to the eye of the impeller, with such vanes ofairfoil shape and with the oppositely-positioned facesof adjacent vanesdiverging inwardly so as to allow for a substantial reduction in thespeed of movement of the liquid as it approaches the eye of theimpeller. For making this more effective, I provide quite limitedclearance between the stationary guide vanes and the face of theadjacent rotary impeller. This clearance is preferably provided by theuse of a cross-positionedpltte mounted in fixed position on the diffuserhousing and in face to face engagement with a washer readily movableedgewise with respect to said plate and adapted to be pressed towardsaid plate by the thrust of the' liquid in the pump.

For attaining these objects, I have provided a construction in which theimpeller is free to float either radially or axially with respect to thehousing in which it is mount ed, with the parts arranged so aseffectively to block the escape of liquid between the impeller and thediffuser housing regardless of what position the parts take with respectto each other transversely of the pump. By the use of certain of theworking members as parts of the housings of the structure, therequirements for the use of special plates for forming-the housings arecut down, and by the use of readily movable plates as parts of thestructure the necessities with respect to coring out passageways arereduced. By the arrangement of the facing portions of the bearingsbetween the impellers and the dilfuser housings so as toopen outwardlyintransverse States Patent position, with little or no face-portionsarranged axially, the capability for the escape of abrasive particlesfrom such. bearings is greatly increased.

By arranging that the liquid shall enter the housing in its movementtoward the impeller by movement axially through a rotary type sealingmember, it has been possible to utilize the inherent forces of gravityand of impeller thrust for holding the sealing member in operativeposition so as to bring about effective sealing and for taking up wear.In my arrangement, the parts are made self-cleaning with the-dangerousabrasive particles capable of removal radially out of the mechanism.With the wearing member in the form of a ringhaving a perfect-lyfiattransversely positioned face, and with the ring free to move in anydirection radially, abrasives are given no place to lodge, and are thusencouraged to move directly outwardly for escape from the bearing ring.With the parts most subject to wear made so as to be readily removablefor replacement, the reconditioning of the pump at intervals is madereadily possible. By reason of the constant pressure on the impellertoward the hearing face against which it works, the leakage of theliquid back to the impeller eye is effectively prevented.

It is another object of my invention to improve pumps of this type insundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which Ihave accomplished my several objects are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side face view of a pump unit suitablefor use in-the lower end of a well casing;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through thelower end portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through theupper end portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially at the line 44 inFig. 2, but with a cross positioned washer removed from the structure;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through a diffuser unit taken substantiallyat the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view of the impeller assembly substantially as taken at theline 6-6 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the impeller assembly as shown inFig. 6, being taken substantially at the line 77 in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a bottom face view of a cross positioned plate immediatelybelow the guide vanes in the diffuser unit; and

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view on a substantially enlarged scalethrough one of the impeller units in operative position in itsassociated diffuser unit.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawings in whichcorresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, thepump of the present invention is illustrated as embodying an upperhousing 10 in the form of a heavy metal sleeve affording a finaldischarge opening or passage for the pump and having a check valve 11mounted therein for preventing downward movement of water or otherliquid therethrough. A shaft 12 extending downwardly from the housing 10has a bearing 13 of any approved type in said housing, with a pluralityof pump units or stages 14-, 15,16, 17, 18 and 19 mounted on the shaftabove an intermediate bearing bracket20 provided with a bearing 21 forsaid shaft. The arrangement is such that impeller units as hereinafterdescribed within said units or stages are caused to rotate with theshaft while being free to move longitudinally of .the shaft. Below thebearing 21 a second series of pump units or stages 22, 23, 24, 25 and26, are mounted on said shaft '12 below the bracket Ztl. Impeller unitsas hereinafter described within said stages are keyed for rotation withthe shaft, while at the same time being free to move longitudinally ofthe shaft. A plurality of long, heavy bolts 27 serve to connect thehousing 10, the pump stages 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and the bracket 20strongly together in water-tight relationship with respect to eachother. Similar long heavy bolts 28 connect the bracket 20, the pumpstages 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, and a heavy cross plate 29 stronglytogether in water-tight relationship to each other. A plurality ofrelatively heavy angularly spaced webs 30 integrally connect the plate29 with a heavy bearing sleeve 31 and an integral lower cross plate orflange 31A provided with a bearing 32 in the sleeve 31 for the lower endof the shaft 12. A heavy screen 33 in the form of a piece of perforatedsheet metal is secured about the webs 30 for screening the admission ofwater or other liquid for movement upwardly through a central opening 34in the plate 29, from which the water or other liquid passes upwardlyalong the shaft 12 to the pump unit 26. The bearings 13, 21 and 32 areof the usual rubber or plastic type which are Water lubricated in whichthe wear due to sand or like material is minimized.

At the lower end of the shaft 12, a resilient coupling 50 of anyapproved type serves to connect said shaft with an electric motor 51that is suspended from the plate 29 by the webs 30, and which motor isdriven by current fed thereto by an electric cable 52 extendingdownwardly through the well casing. A protective shield 53 of sheetmetalis secured in position by means of screws 54 so as to prevent damage ofthe cable by contact with other parts within the well casing.

The arrangement in connection with the several diffuser units and theircooperating impeller units is substantially uniform, as illustrated inFig. 9, which shows the construction of the unit 25, for example. Inthis construction, an impeller comprising a back shroud plate 65 ismounted on the shaft 12 by means of a hub or sleeve 66 which is slidablymounted on the shaft but is held by a key 67 from rotation with respectto the shaft. On the bottom face of the shroud 65 there are mounted aplurality of impeller vanes 68, preferably formed integrally with theshroud, a front shroud plate 69 being removably secured in crossrelationship below the vanes by a plurality of screws 70.

As is clearly shown in said Fig. 9, the impeller comprising the shroud65 and the vanes 68 is positioned crosswise within a diffuser housing 71in the form of a heavy sleeve of substantially greater diameter than thehub or sleeve 66, with a cross positioned plate 72 located in downwardlyspaced relationship to the impeller, such plate 72 being provided with acentral opening and with a plurality of guide vanes 73 formed integrallywith the plate on its bottom face. These guide vanes 73 are of airfoilshape, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, with the space between each twoadjacent vanes increasing toward the inner ends of the vanes. Thisinward divergence of the defining faces of the vanes is shown by theincreasing lengths of the arrows 74, 75 and 76 shown in dotted lines insaid Fig. 4. By reason of the increasing size of the passageway betweeneach two adjacent vanes in the direction toward the axis, the velocityat which the water or other liquid is moved decreases toward the eye ofthe impeller. This is of very great importance in a pump involving aconsiderable number of stages, my construction being such as to insurehigh efficiency in the pumping operation, as well as to provide foreffective removal of the abrasives.

In my improved pump, a cross positioned plate 77 is provided underneaththe stationary guide vanes 73, having a central opening therethrough soas to be loose about the hub 66 of the impeller, being removably securedin position on the housing 71 by three screws 78 (see Fig. 4) extendingthrough openings 79 in the plate, and threaded into suitable screwthreaded openings in conveniently positioned guide vanes 73. In face toface engagement with the top face of this plate 77 at its inner edgeportion, I provide a washer 80 which has a loose fit transversely innotches in the inner end portions of the stationary vanes 73, suchwasher being formed preferably of plastic of a type adapted to belubricated by the water or other liquid being pumped. The constructionand arrangement are such that the plate 77 and washer 80 cooperateeffectively for preventing any substantial leakage of liquid downwardlyfrom the guide vanes 73 along the hub 66 of the impeller, while at thesame time permitting free shifting movement of the shaft and theimpeller transversely so far as necessary with respect to the diffuserhousing.

For preventing the liquid being pumped from leakage at the eye of theimpeller, I have provided a sealing ring 81, preferably of a plastic ofa type adapted to be lubri- I cated by water or other liquid beingpumped, such ring 81 comprising a short cylindrical portion with anoutwardly extending flange at one end. The cylindrical portion of thissealing ring fits snugly in the central opening in the cross positionedplate 72 of the diffuser housing, with the flange portion of the ringseated squarely on the top face of said plate about the central openingtherethrough. The top face of the sealing ring, in turn, seats squarelyagainst the bottom face of the front shroud 69 of the impeller which isformed preferably flat and even at this point for insuring a close fitbetween the shroud and the ring. The sealing ring 81 is also providedwith a downwardly extending lug 82 constituting a shoulder in positionto engage the plate 72 for holding the sealing ring from rotation withrespect to the housing 71 and thus insuring that the wear between theimpeller and the diffuser housing shall take place on the sealing ringand the front shroud 69.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the bottom stage 14next to the top housing 10 and the bottom stage 22 next to the bearingbracket 20 are not provided with impellers and their cooperating parts,and that at the bottom portions of the pump stages 19 and 26 the washersand cross-positioned plates 77 are omitted from the structure. With theexceptions as noted, each of the pump stages is preferably similar tothat shown by Fig. 9.

In operation, the liquid being pumped enters the lowermost pump stage 26through the opening 34 in the plate 29 and is forced outwardly by theaction of the vanes 68 on the impeller in said stage, at the outer endsof which vanes 68 such liquid moves upwardly to the outer ends of thediffuser vanes 73 on the bottom face of the cross-positioned plate 72 ofthe diffuser housing 25, between which vanes 73 the liquid movesinwardly through passageways of increasing size for delivery to theinner ends of the impeller vanes of the next higher impeller. Thisaction is repeated with the liquid rising from one stage to the next. Atthe transfer of the liquid from the pump stage 22 to the pump stage 19,the liquid passes inwardly along the diffuser vanes 73 in the stage 22,then through vertical openings through the bearing bracket 20, and theninwardly along the diffuser vanes 73 in said stage 19 for deliveryupwardly through the eye of the impeller in said stage 19. By the use ofmy improved construction, the considerable number of pump stages arecaused to cooperate for forcing the liquid upwardly.

By use of the sealing rings 81 between the plates 72 and 69, the leakageof the liquid at the eyes of the impellers is kept to a minimum, and bythe use of the washers 80 and the cross-positioned plates 77, theleakage between the impellers and the diffuser housings is kept verysmall so as very largely to prevent re-circulation of the liquid.

In this construction, the wear of the parts is restricted very largelyto the plates 69 and the sealing rings 81 and to the plates 77 andwashers 80. For keeping such wear to a minimum, the plates 69 and 77 aremade fiat, even and smooth, and, as above specified, the rings 81 andwashers 80 are made preferably of plastic, which is adapted to belubricated effectively by the liquid being handled, such for example asnylon. With the plates 69 and. 77 removable and replaceable by theremoval of the screws 70 and 78, and with the sealing rings 81 andWashers 80 arranged so as to be moved readily out of position upon themovement of the plates 69 and 77 from their operative positions, arepair of the pump by the replacement of worn parts is capable of beingeffected quickly and easily.

In the normal operation of the pump, the impellers are free to positionthemselves both radially and axially, with the impellers maintained atall times in physical contact with the sealing rings by the forces ofthrust and gravity. When the front shrouds 69 are kept pressed againstthe sealing rings 81, the probability that abrasive particles shall moveoutwardly between the fiat contact faces is very small, and in any case,where such a thing does happen, the force of the liquid being pumpedordinarily drives such abrasive particles radially out of engagementwith the sealing rings for a self-cleaning effect.

By employing the back shroud of the impeller to act as the top wall ofthe diffuser housing the necessity for a special plate for this purposeis avoided. By the provision of a removable plate as the bottom wall forthe diffuser housing below the diffuser vanes 73, the necessity forcoring out narrow passageways is avoided and a selfcleaning action isencouraged.

While I prefer to employ the form of mechanism as illustrated in thedrawings and above described, it will be understood that my invention isnot to be limited thereto except so far as the same may be specificallyclaimed, it being understood that changes might be made in the form andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a plurality of housingmembers connected together in watertight relationship to each other, adrive shaft extending through said housing members and mounted so as torotate therein, impellers keyed on said shaft in said housing members,cross-positioned plates extending inwardly in said housing membersunderneath said impellers and toward said shaft but in spacedrelationship to the shaft, circumferentially spaced diffuser vanesextending toward said shaft in fixed position on the bottom faces ofsaid cross-positioned plates, other cross-positioned plates removablysecured to the respective first mentioned crosspositioned plates andunderneath and against said vanes for preventing the liquid being pumpedfrom escaping downwardly from the vanes and having central openingstherethrough of a size for permitting the shaft and the impellers toshift transversely with respect to said housing members, and meansmounted on and cooperative with said other cross-positioned plates atthe central openings therethrough for preventing such downward escape ofthe liquid and arranged for shifting movement transversely with respectto said last named plates.

2. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a plurality of housingmembers connected together in watertight relationship to each other, adrive shaft extending through said housing members and mounted so as torotate therein, impellers keyed on said shaft in said housing members,cross-positioned plates extending inwardly in said housing membersunderneath said impellers and toward said shaft but in spacedrelationship to the shaft, circumferentially spaced diffuser vanesextending toward said shaft in fixed position on the bottom faces ofsaid cross-positioned plates, other cross-positioned plates removablysecured on said first mentioned cross-positioned plates in positionunderneath said vanes for preventing the liquid being pumped fromescaping downwardly from the vanes and having central openingstherethrough of a size for permitting the shaft and the impellers toshift transversely with respect to said housing members, and washers onthe top faces of said last named plates adapted to move transverselywith said shaft and impellers into laterally-changed positions withrespect to said last named plates.

3. A centrifugal pump as specified by claim 2 in which said washers areslidable transversely in notches in the bottom faces of said vanes.

4. In a centrifugal pump, the combination of a housing member comprisinga cylindrical sleeve, a driving shaft extending through said sleeve andmounted so as to rotate therein, an impeller member comprising a muchsmaller sleeve keyed on said shaft with a plate extending outwardly fromsaid smaller sleeve at right angles to the sleeve, a plurality ofimpeller vanes mounted in fixed position on the bottom face of saidplate, a cross-positioned plate removably secured on the bottom faces ofsaid impeller vanes, a cross-positioned plate extending inwardly in saidhousing member underneath said impeller but in spaced relationship tosaid shaft, a plurality of diffuser vanes in circumferentially spacedrelationship to each other on the bottom face of the cross-positionedplate of the housing member, a cross-positioned plate removably securedon the bottom faces of said diffuser vanes, a sealing ring of plasticbetween the removably mounted plate of the impeller and thecross-positioned plate extending inwardly in the housing member toafford a thrust bearing and prevent leakage at the eye of the impeller,and a sealing washer of plastic between the sleeve of the impellermember and the cross-positioned plate removably mounted below thediffuser vanes for preventing re-circulaion of the liquid being pumped.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,662,443 Sperry Mar. 13, 1928 2,245,866 McLachlan June 17, 19412,247,813 Huitson July 1, 1941 2,270,666 Arutunoff Jan. 20, 19422,366,964 Howard Jan. 9, 1945 2,380,606 Moody July 31, 1945 2,430,509Hoover Nov. 11, 1947 2,668,068 Bredemeier Feb. 4, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS109,997 Australia Sept. 22, 1938 228,365 Great Britain Feb. 5, 1925539,373 Great Britain Sept. 8, 1941

